Disconnecting steer system

ABSTRACT

A lift truck is provided with an operator&#39;&#39;s station on the carriage whereby the operator is elevated with the carriage and its load handling forks or platform. The operator&#39;&#39;s station includes a manually operated steering control which is automatically disconnected from the steerable wheel when the carriage is elevated. Steering motion transmitting means between the operator&#39;&#39;s station and the steerable wheel includes a pair of cooperable torque transmitting members which automatically engage when the carriage is lowered and disengage when the carriage is elevated.

United States Patent Mecklenburg et al. 5] Oct. 7, 1975 [5 DISCONNECTINGSTEER SYSTEM 3,302,478 2/1967 Pauwels 280/87 A I 3,504,776 4/1970Misenti 192/67 R [75] lmemorsggg a g z a g kl 3,765,500 10/1973 Reeves180/77 s ewoo eor e a ey, Glenwood, both f m FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS Assigneez Allis chalmers Corporation, 2,003,066 1/1970Germany 180/77 R M'l k ,W'

lwau ee 18 Primary ExaminerKenneth H. Betts Filed; 1974 AssistantExaminer-Jack D. Rubenstein [21] Appl No 789 Attorney, Agent, orFirmCharles L. Schwab 57 ABSTRACT [52] US. Cl 180/77 R; 74/492; 192/67R;

187/9 182/148. 280/96. 180/79 A 11ft truck 15 provided with an operators stanon on [51] Int Cl 2 1 1/18 the carriage whereby the operator iselevated with the [58] 78 89 A carriage and its load handling forks orplatform. The 50/89 R 280/87 operators station includes a manuallyoperated steer- 1 9 ing control which is automatically disconnected fromthe steerable wheel when the carriage is elevated. [56] References CitedSteering motion transmitting means between the oper- UNITED STATESPATENTS ators station and the steerable wheel includes a pair ofcooperable torque transmitting members which au- Voelker tomaticallyengage when the arriage is lowered and 3,099,332 7/1963 De Marco etal.... 187/9 R disengage when the carriage is ekwated- 3,172,500 3/1965Dolphin et al. 187/9 R 3,248,123 4/1966 Thomas 74/496 15 Claims, 5Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 1 of 2 3,910,370

U.S. Patent Oct. 7,1975 Sheet 2 of2 3,910,370

AZEOTROPIC SOLVENTS FOR PERMANENT PRESS TREATMENTS OF COTTON AND COTTONBLEND FABRICS A non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free license in theinvention herein described, throughout the world for all purposes of theUnited States Government, with the power to grant sublicenses for suchpurposes, is hereby granted to the Government of the United States ofAmerica.

This invention relates to the treatment of textiles with methylolatedcyclic urea crosslinking agents dissolved in azeotropic solvents withadded catalysts to impart permanent press properties to cellulosicmaterials. This type of system should find use in decreasing waterpollution since the azeotrope may be reclaimed at relatively lowexpenditure of power due to the decreased boiling points of these mixedsolvents. From the standpoint of economics, cyclic processes involvingreclamation of solvent would circumvent the need for discharge of wastewater into streams resulting in a cheaper process. 7

DEFINITION For the purpose of this patent, an azeotropic mixture isdefined as a solution of two or more liquids, the composition of whichdoes not change upon distillation' Further, such a solution distillswithout a change in temperature or composition. Azeotropes of water andone or more other solvents are well known and have been used in priorart processes throughout various chemical processes in which solventrecycling is desirable.

The main object of the instant invention is to provide a process whereinenhanced dry and wet wrinkle recoveries may be imparted to cellulosictextiles via low boiling azeotropic solvents using a number ofN-methylol cyclic ureas in the presence of external catalysis.

A second object of the instant invention is to apply the process tocellulosic textiles from predominantly nonaqueous solvents withoutdrying the fabric before curing.

A further object of the present invention is the contribution of asolution to ecological problems of the textile industry. Bearing in mindthat the azeotropes of this invention boil at temperatures lower thanthe boiling point of water alone, recycling of the azeotropic mixturescan be accomplished at lower expenditures of time and energy with thesupplemental incentive and improvement in ecological service sincedisposal of waste water would be minimized or eliminated.

THE PRIOR ART To those skilled in the art it is well known that aqueoussolutions of N-methylolated cyclic ureas such as dimethylolethylene urea(DMEU) or dimethyloldihydroxyethylene urea (DMDHEU) can be reacted withcellulosic textiles in the presence of added Lewis acid type catalysts,such as mineral acids or acid salts, to impart. desirable permanentpress properties to the finished fabric or garment. Ziifle et al.(Textile Res. J. 31, No. 4, pp. 349-365, 1964) have applied DMEU tocotton cellulose in the presence of several metal salt catalysts toobtain enhanced dry and wet wrinkle recovery. Further, Gonzales et al.(U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,667) have shown the utility of certain mixedsolvents to dissolve DMEU to impart these same desirable permanent pressproperties.

In accordance with the main object of the instant invention, it isrequired that specific azeotropic solvents be used which both solubilizea number of resins with added catalysts and allow the reaction toproceed at relatively low cure temperatures with reclamation of solventfeasible at much lower temperatures because of the azeotropic nature ofthe solvents employed. Prior art processes required a drying step toproduce desirable properties. Ziifle et al. employed a 60C drying periodof 7 min. prior to curing at an elevated temperature in order to achievethe desirable permanent press properties In accordance with the secondobject of the instant invention described above, we do not require adrying step; in fact, the treatments are superior without a drying stepprevious to the curing step because of the high volatility of theazeotropic mixtures.

The impregnation of a cellulosic textile is generally carried out inthis manner. The material is immersed in an azeotropic solvent such asisopropanol-water (87% to 12.3% by weight), tertiary butyl alcohol-water(88.3

. to 11.7%), n-propanal alcohol-water (71.7 to 28.3%),

dioxane-water (81.6 to 18.4%), or methyl ethyl ketonewater (89% to 11%).The treating bath is also about 0.55 molar concentration in DMDHEU orDMEU with added 0.03 M Zn(NO as catalyst. Any of a number ofN-methylolated compounds may be used in the process and they includeurea formaldehyde, dimethylol urea, dihydroxyethylene urea, propyleneurea, trimethylolmelamine and the like. Concentration of the N- methylolcompounds can range from 2% on up to 50% limited only by theirsolubility in the azeotropes aforementioned. Catalysts that can be usedare any of a number of Lewis acids and include ZnCl ,Zn(NO MgCl MG(NOcitric acid, hydrochloric acid. Zn(BF acetic acid, acetic acid-citricacid mixtures and the like, amine hydrochlorides, and aluminumchlorohydroxide. Concentration of the catalyst can range from 0.01 molarup to 0.5 molar. Once the textile has been impregnated from the treatingbath to a wet pickup of about to it is then submitted to a cure of fromabout 100 to C for from 0.5 to 3 minutes. For the process of thisinvention, it is desirable to add a catalyst for the purpose ofobtaining improved wrinkle recovery properties of a fabric.

The cellulosic textiles to which our invention can be applied includecotton, cotton-polyester blends, rayon, ramie, jute, flax, and the likeand in the case of cotton we have specifically applied our invention tothe textile in the form of woven fabrics with satisfactory results.Those skilled in the art can readily visualize the extention of thisapplication to other forms of textiles in the realm of cellulosicmaterials.

The treated cotton fabrics were submitted to selected standard tests aswell as the other tests indicated here. Breaking strength determinationswere done by the ASTM Method D39-49; dry wrinkle recovery determinationswere done by the ASTM Method D1295-6OT; flex abrasion (bar 575) valueswere obtained by the ASTM Method D1 -64T; and wet wrinkle recoverydeterminations were done by the Lawrence and Phillips method describedin American Dyestuff Reporter, vol. 45, P. 548-550, 5 6 1 (1956).Nitrogen values were obtained by the Kjeldahl Method and formaldehydevalues were obtained by the chromotropic acid method.

The following examples are presented to illustrate the invention, andsince procedure and conditions can be varied by those skilled in theart, the examples are not set forth to establish any particular limits.

EXAMPLE 1 Desized, scoured and bleached (80 80) cotton printcloth wastwice padded with a 0.55 M solution of dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea(DMDHEU) in 87.7% isopropanol 12.3% H O azeotrope with 0.03M Zn(NO addedto about 90% wet pickup and cured for 3 minutes at 160C. The fabric wasthen rinsed free of excess reagents in hot tap (pH water for minutes,rinsed in distilled water, ironed dry and allowed to air equilibratebefore testing. The fabric had a 7.0% weight add-on, a 1.61% nitrogenand a 3.38% formaldehyde content with dry and wet wrinkle recovery of293 and 278 (W+F). The breaking strength was 30.4 lbs and the elongationat break was 4.4%. The abrasion resistance was 52 cycles. Control fabricproperties were 200 and 156 (W+F) for the dry and wet wrinkle recovery,55 lbs breaking strength and 7.1% elongation at break with 764 cyclesfor flex abrasion.

EXAMPLE 2 The following examples are provided to show that the curetemperature may be lowered to give excellent wrinkle recovery propertieswhere fabrics are treated as in Example 1 with the resultant fabricproperties listed in the following table.

Cure Temp. Add-on Nitrogen Formaldehyde Wrinkle ("C 71 Recovery (3 min.(W+F) cure) Dry Wet EXAMPLE 3 The following examples are illustrated toshow that other azeotropes can be substituted for that in Example 1 withthe following conditions as listed in the table.

The following examples are illustrated to show that 0.55 Mdimethylolethyleneurea (DMEU) can be used instead of DMDHEU with Zn(NOcatalyst as shown in the following table.

Cure FUl'l'lllll- Wrinkle Azeo- Temp ("C Nitrodehydc Add-on Recoverytrope (3 min. gen A k? (W+F) cure) Dry Wet "l is 88.3% t-hutunol 11.7%H20 2 is 8991 methylcthylkctone l 171 H 0 3 is 71.7% n-propylalcohol28.3% H 0 4 is 81.671 dioxane 18.4% H O We claim:

1. A process for improving the treatment of cellulosic textiles withN-methylolated ureas in the presence of Lewis acid catalyst wherein theimprovement consists of dissolving said methylolated ureas in azeotropesof water and a member of the group consisting of isopropyl alcohol,methylethyl ketone, t-butyl alcohol, npropyl alcohol, and dioxane, toproduce nitrogencontaining chemically modified cellulosic textiles and arecyclable reagent bath.

2. An improved method of producing nitrogencontaining chemicallymodified cellulosic textiles in the reaction of the cellulosic textilewith an N- methylolated compound, the improvement consisting of theemployment of azeotropic recyclable mixtures, the method comprising:

a. impregnating a cellulosic textiel to a wet-pickup of about from 80 to100% with a solution containing about from 2 to 50% of an N-methylolatedcom-- pound selected from the group consisting ofdimethylolethyleneurea, dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea, ureaformaldehyde, dimethylol urea, dihydroxyethylene urea, propylene urea,and trimethylolmelamine, and about from 0.01 to 0.5 mole of a Lewis acidcatalyst selected from the group consisting of zinc nitrate, zincchloride, magnesium chloride, magnesium nitrate, citric acid,hydrochloric acid, zinc flouroborate, acetic acid, acetic acid/citricacid misture, and aluminum chlorhydroxide dissolved in an aqueousazeotropic mixture consisting of:

87.7 12.3% isopropanol-water,

88.3 1 1.7% tertiary butyl alcohol-water, 71.7 28.3% n-propylalcohol-water, 81.6 18.4% dioxane-water, and

89 1 1% methylethyl ketone-water;

b. curing rhe wet impregnated cellulosic textile for about from 0.5 to 3minutes at about from 100 to C, and

c; washing and drying the cured textile.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the N- methylolated compound isdimethylol ethyleneurea.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein the N- methylolated compound isdimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein the N- methylolated compound is ureaformaldehyde.

6. The method of claim 2 wherein the N- methylolated compound isdimethylol urea.

7. The method of claim 2 wherein the methylolated compound isdihydroxyethylene urea.

side loading means mounted on said support for moving loads laterally toand from said carriage, an operators station mounted on said supportfor:

wardly of said side loading means, including a manually operablesteering control member,

a first rotatable torque transmitting member mounted on said station,first motion transmitting means operatively interconnecting said firsttorque transmitting member with said steering control,

a second rotatable torque transmitting member mounted on said supportadapted for cooperable torque transmitting engagement with said firsttorque transmitting member when said carriage is in its loweredposition, said torque transmitting said second member.

1. In a vehicle having a frame, a plurality of support wheels on saidframe at least one of which is steerable and an operator''s stationelevatable from a lowered position on said frame to an elevated workposition, the combination comprising: a steering control on saidoperator''s station including a rotatable torque transmitting member; arotatable part on said frame steeringly connected to said steerablewheel and adapted for torque transmitting engagement with said torquetransmitting member, said torque transmitting member and said rotatablepart being engaged for rotary motion transmission when said operator''sstation is in its lowered position and being disengaged when saidoperator''s station is elevated a predetermined distance from saidlowered position.
 2. The structure of claim 1 wherein said steeringcontrol includes a vertically disposed shaft having a sliding torquetransmitting connection with said torque transmitting member.
 3. Thestructure of claim 2 wherein said torque transmitting member and saidrotatable part are aligned for rotation on a common axis.
 4. Thestructure of claim 3 wherein said torque transmitting member includes asocket and said rotatable part includes a nut.
 5. The structure of claim4 wherein said steering control further comprises resilient biasingmeans operatively interposed between said vertically disposed socketshaft and urging the latter downwardly.
 6. The structure of claim 2wherein said steering control further comprises resilient biasing meansoperatively interposed between said shaft and torque transmitting memberurging the latter downwardly.
 7. The structure of claim 1 wherein saidrotatable part is connectEd to said steerable wheel by motiontransmitting means including a spool on said rotatable part and aflexible motion transmitting member having a portion thereof wrappedaround said spool.
 8. In a lift truck having a frame, a motor drivenwheel mounted on said frame for steering movement about a vertical axis,a mast and a carriage mounted on said mast for vertical reciprocalmovement between lowered and raised positions, an operator''s stationmounted on said carriage for movement therewith including a manuallyoperated steering control, a pair of engageable rotary motiontransmitting members on said operator''s station and frame respectively,said members being in rotary motion transmitting engagement when saidcarriage is in its lowered position and being disengaged when saidcarriage is elevated a predetermined amount, motion transmitting meansinterconnecting said member on said frame and said wheel and motiontransmitting means interconnecting said member on said operator''sstation and said steering control.
 9. The structure of claim 8 whereinsaid members are aligned for rotation on a common axis.
 10. Thestructure of claim 9 wherein one of said members is a socket and theother of said members is a nut.
 11. The structure of claim 10 whereinsaid motion transmitting means includes a vertical shaft having avertical sliding torque transmitting connection with one of saidmembers.
 12. The structure of claim 11 and further comprising aresilient element interposed between said shaft and said one memberoperative to urge said one member toward the other member.
 13. A lifttruck comprising: a frame including a rear part adapted to support asource of power and a vertically narrow forwardly extending part, asource of power on said rear part of said frame, a vertical mast mountedon said frame forwardly of said source of power, wheels supporting saidframe including a drive wheel mounted on said rear part of said framefor rotatable steering movement and a pair of laterally spaced wheels onsaid forwardly extending part near the front end thereof, a carriagemounted on said mast for vertical reciprocal movement thereon between alowered position and elevated positions including a forwardly extendingsupport in overlying relation to said forwardly extending part of saidframe, side loading means mounted on said support for moving loadslaterally to and from said carriage, an operator''s station mounted onsaid support forwardly of said side loading means, including a manuallyoperable steering control member, a first rotatable torque transmittingmember mounted on said station, first motion transmitting meansoperatively interconnecting said first torque transmitting member withsaid steering control, a second rotatable torque transmitting membermounted on said support adapted for cooperable torque transmittingengagement with said first torque transmitting member when said carriageis in its lowered position, said torque transmitting members beingdisengaged when said carriage is elevated a predetermined distance fromsaid lowered position, and second motion transmitting means operativelyinterconnecting said drive wheel and said second torque transmittingmember.
 14. The structure of claim 13 wherein said first motiontransmitting means includes a vertically disposed shaft and wherein saidfirst member has a vertical slidable torque transmitting connection withsaid shaft.
 15. The structure of claim 14 and further comprisingresilient biasing means operatively interposed between said shaft andfirst member urging the latter toward said second member.